Help Stuck in Panama! - 2006 Sierra 2500 Brake Problem

[terencegb1]

Please Help! I am in Panama with an '06 GMC Sierra pick up. V8 GAS. I had a power steering line sling a hole and got it repaired at a hole in the wall mechanic (no GMC dealer for 200 Miles). After the repair the power steering is fine but now I only have power brakes at higher RPM on the engine.. If I am sitting in traffic the pedal will "fade" on me if I keep my foot on it. Anybody have any ideas?? I have limited spanish to communicating with mechanics is challenging here. I can ship parts in from the US if i need to but the truck is basically stranded till I fix the brakes. - Thanks

[gmtech4]

what does"sling a hole"mean ?

 

you have vacuum or hydro boost ?

 

im assuming you have hydroboost ,,,

 

what is happeneing makes no sense after a simple hose repair ,,,

 

pedals can fade if not moving ,,,,does the truck stop normal ?(i know high rpms it does)

 

steering fine = brake assist fine =pump fine ,,,

 

signed confused old tech

 

tires off the ground engine off ,,turn steering wheel lock to lock a thousand times to bleed it properly

[terencegb1]

what does"sling a hole"mean ?

 

you have vacuum or hydro boost ?

 

im assuming you have hydroboost ,,,

 

what is happeneing makes no sense after a simple hose repair ,,,

 

pedals can fade if not moving ,,,,does the truck stop normal ?(i know high rpms it does)

 

steering fine = brake assist fine =pump fine ,,,

 

signed confused old tech

 

tires off the ground engine off ,,turn steering wheel lock to lock a thousand times to bleed it properly

Thanks for the tips.. I will try what you say. .Sorry about the "Sling".. its should be "spring" ooppss.

Yes it is a hydro boost so I was guessing that perhaps when the mechanic took the power steering line off he might have down something else by mistake.. Air in the system sounds like a high possibility.. I hope its just that.. Ill do as you advise and report

 

The truck will stop, I just have to "stand on the pedal".

 

Here is a typical senario.. Driving alone the highway.. come to some traffic. Put the foot on the brakes and all works as it should.. brake feels good and truck slows well.. comes to s stop.. if I jab the brake the truck will stop quickly,, Then will sitting in traffic and not moving the brake pedal, the car will "loose" the brake and roll slightly.. I press the pedal and it goes almost to the floor but does stop.

 

Rev up again and the brake pedal fir mess comes back..

 

Does that give you any more clues?

 

No break fluid loss.. Power steering is working well..

 

Thanks again for the tip!

[LongrangeLauber]

Hmm sounds like either air in the line, or maybe a very slight loose connection at the hydroboost, but Im sure that would cause PS loss and PS fluid loss. Could it possibly be the PS pump getting weak?

 

govtech4 is our sight technician, Im sure he will correct me on everything I probably said wrong lol

[Silverado4x4]

The hydro-boost requires a constant source of pressurized power steering fluid for proper operation. Problems in the power steering system will be reflected in the operation of the hydro-boost.

 

Do what govtech4 says, check steering fluid to proper level crank steering wheel full lock left to right several times check fluid level again add if needed repeat steps if fluid level went low till level stays the same, make sure the front wheels are off the ground while doing this.

[gmtech4]

Thanks for the tips.. I will try what you say. .Sorry about the "Sling".. its should be "spring" ooppss.

Yes it is a hydro boost so I was guessing that perhaps when the mechanic took the power steering line off he might have down something else by mistake.. Air in the system sounds like a high possibility.. I hope its just that.. Ill do as you advise and report

 

The truck will stop, I just have to "stand on the pedal".

 

Here is a typical senario.. Driving alone the highway.. come to some traffic. Put the foot on the brakes and all works as it should.. brake feels good and truck slows well.. comes to s stop.. if I jab the brake the truck will stop quickly,, Then will sitting in traffic and not moving the brake pedal, the car will "loose" the brake and roll slightly.. I press the pedal and it goes almost to the floor but does stop.

 

Rev up again and the brake pedal fir mess comes back..

 

Does that give you any more clues?

 

No break fluid loss.. Power steering is working well..

 

Thanks again for the tip!

if you have no leaks and your pedal goes for a crap sitting at a light ,the m/cyl MAY have bypassed itself ,,,internally ,,,after driving ,air being stuck is unlikely ,,

 

like i said ,,,,makes no sense ,,,,

 

flip your m/cyl if ya like but be sure to bench bleed it ,,,i posted how to do it a couple weeks back ,,,

 

 

weird situation ,,,idk

 

small steps is advised as well ,good luck

[efritz]

I have dealt with these hydro units for a long time. Does the pedal slowly go completely to the floor when the vehicle is stopped, and then has to be "pumped up" again to regain braking power? That sounds very much like a master cylinder failure to me. If you can jab the brakes and stop quickly and can steer, then the PS pump is fine. Make sure that it has the proper amount of fluid in it and has been bled as stated earlier. When the truck is idling, open the hood and turn off the radio, then push the brake pedal hard, you should hear the PS pump load down as it will make noise and load down the engine. If it does this then all is well with the PS pump's end of things. Then it is either the boost unit that is having problems or your master cylinder just happened to have issues at the same time. My two cents.